Telescoping and adjustable crutch



March 3, 1953 R. w. SLATER TELEscoPING AND ADJUSTABLE cRUTcH 2 SHEETS SHEET l Filed Feb. 18, 1950 INVEN TOR.

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RAYMOND W. SLATER Illlllllllll Pnnnnnr annu..

March 3, 1953 R. w. SLATER TELESCOPING AND ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1950 INVENTOR. RnYMo/v M .SL/@TEE Patented Mar. 3, A1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELESCOPING AND ADJUSTABLE CRUTCH Raymond WT. Slater, Pawtucket, R. I.

Application February 18, 1950, Serial No. 144,994

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to a crutch which may be Y readily adjusted as to length and handle position,

. and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more partially pointed out in the appended claim.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional View of my improved crutch;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation, looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the crutch partially telescoped;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view, partly in section and showing the lower portion of the crutch;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view corre- E sponding to the middle portion of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detail transverse section, taken along the line lin Fig. 6;

Fig. S is a detail partial side elevation, looking v in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a modified crutch handle; and

Fig. l0 is an end view, looking in the direction of the arrow lil in Fig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, improved crutch comprises an upper tubular member 2D, an intermediate tubular member 22 and a lower tubular member 24. The intermediate member 22 is slidable upward within the upper member when released, and the lower member 24 is similarly r slidable upwardly within the intermediate tubular member 22 when released. The telescoped position of the parts is indicated in Fig. 4.

An armpit rest (it, commonly of wood, is secured to the upper end of the tubular member 20 in any convenient manner, as by a plate 3| screwed to the under side of the rest and having a hub portion 32 extending into the tubular member 2t and secured therein by a cross bolt 33.

The lower end of the upper tubular member 20 is swedged or contracted, as indicated at 46, to slidably receive the intermediate tubular member 22. The upper end of the intermediate member 22 is expanded as indicated at 42jto slidably 2 'l nt the normal inside diameter of the member 29.

A relatively long coil spring 4d is mounted in the upper part of the tubular member 20 and engages the armpit rest hub 32 at its upper end and the upper end of the tubular member 22 at its lower end, as indicated in Fig. 6.

A handle 5i? has a sleeve-like end portion 5l which is slidable on the outer surface of the upper tubular member 2li. The member 2t has a series of preferably rectangular openings 52 (Fig. 6), shown as five in number and spaced axially in the lower end portion of the tube 2G. Depressions are made in the opposite side or the memper 2i! and in transverse alignment with the openings E.

A plunger 54 is slidable axially in the handle and has a preferably rectangular end portion 55 adapted to enter any one of the openings 52 with which it may be aligned. A setscrew 56 in the sleeve portion 5l may then be screwed into one of the depressions 53 to lock the handle in the selected position. Substantial and convenient adjustment of the handle 5i) relative to the armpit rest il@ is thus available.

The tubular member 22 is provided with a longitudinal groove or keyway E@ (Figs. 2: and 7), and a pin or stud 6i in the contracted lower end portion l5 of the tubular member 2l) extends into the groove 5t and acts as a key to prevent relative rotation of the tubular members 26 and 2.2. The member 22, throughout the major portion 'of its length, is provided with closely adjacent and preferably rectangular slots or openings iid (Figs. 6 and 8). any one of which may be faligned with the selected recess 52 and the plunger end portion 55. The end portion 55 will then enter the selected opening 54, thus locking the tubular members 2t and 22 in a selected longitudinal relation.

The plunger 5d is iorced inward by a spring di (Fig. 6) seated in a recess SB in the outer end of the plunger and engaging a cap 5d threaded into the outer end of the handle 5t. A slide 'it has a reduced portion l! extending through a. slot i2 in the outer end or" the handle 59 and may be secured to the plunger 54 by pins M. The plunger lill may be moved outward by manual pressure on the slide lil, thus withdrawing the end portion 55 from the locus or" the slots B4 when it is desired to change the relative adjustment of the tubular members 2@ and 22. Such adjustment is readily accomplished while the clutch is in use by withdrawing the plunger 54 and pressing the armpit rest 3i! downward or allowing it to be moved upward by the spring 44 while the plunger 55 is withdrawn.

When the armpit rest is at the desired height relative to the ground or other supporting surface,

the slide 14 is released and the .plunger 54 then locks the parts in selected longitudinal relation.

The lower tubular member 2li may be provided with the usual rubber crutch tip to and at its upper end is provided with an extension member 8i. This extension member 3i comprises a body portion S2 slidable in the tubular member 22 and having a reduced upper shank 85? which is a snug lit in a short tube 84 which is also slidable in the tubular member 22. The parts 82 and dil are preferably welded together. Below the body portion 82, the member 3i is of reduced diameter as shown at 85 and has a threaded portion 86. The part 85 is of the same diameter as the lower tubular member 2i and may be welded thereto. e. further reduced shank Si oi the member 8| snugly aligns the parts 8i and Eil. rEhe threaded portion 8e nts a contracted corresponding threaded portion 89 (Fig. 6) at the lower end of the tubular member 22.

A sleevelike lock nut et (Fig. 5) is slidable on the lower member 2t and is threaded at its upper end as indicated at 9i to fit the threaded portion 88 on the extension member S i.

Having described the details or construction or my improved crutch, the use and advantages thereof are as follows:

When the crutch is to be assembled for use, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the lower tubular member 2d is inserted in the intern .late tubular member 22 from the upper ena thereof. The parts 721i and 2E and the spring td are then inserted in the upper end of the member ES before the armpit rest 38 is applied. The contracted portion di) (Fig. 6) at the lower eno'. of the mem ber 28 prevents the member 22 from falling out of the member 2li when it is released and the contracted and threaded lower end portion t8 pre vents the member 2d from falling out.

The lower end of the member extends through the portion 853 and may receive the crutch tip 8E'. rihe spring may be compressed and the plunge-r Ell may be released to hold these parts nested. The member is then drawn out along the member 22 and the threaded portion te of the member 25s is screwed through and partly beyond the threaded lower end portion $38 of the member 22.

The lock nut 98 is then threaded onto the prouiecting part of the threaded portion 88, thus lool ing `the parts 22 and 2li inoperative relation.

The plunger iid and screw E can then be moved outward to release the handle sleeve 5|, which may then be adjusted upward or downward to correspond with the length of the users arm. The plunger 5d may then be released to enter the selected one of the openings 52, and the screw 56 may be tightened to retain the adjustment.

The plunger 5ft may then be again moved outward to permit relative longitudinal adjustment of the tubular members 28 and and the armpit rest 363 may be pressed downward or allowed to move upward to bring the crutch to the desired over-all length, after which the plunger 54 is released and locks the parts in adjusted position.

it will be seen that this latter adjustment is readily accomplished while the crutch is in use and that it requires only one hand to release the plunger 5ft and to permit the adjustment to be made.

When the crutch is to be telescoped for transportation or storage, the plunger 5L! is withdrawn and the tubular member 22 is forced into the member 2li as far as it will go, whereupon the plunger 54 is released to retain the parts in telescoped position.

The ..1ock1nut ,90 is then unscrewed from the 4 threaded portion 86 and is allowed to drop to the position shown in Fig. 5. The threaded portion S6 is then screwed upward entirely through the threaded portion 88 (Fig. 6) at the lower end of the member 22, after which the lower member 24 may be pushed upward into the members 29 and 22, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The entire crutch may thus be conveniently telescoped for transportation or storage.

In Figs. 9 and 10 I have shown a modication in which a flashlight |88 is mounted on a handle 58a and may be clamped thereon by a cap E82 corresponding to the cap 59 previously described. The iiashlight Iil may contain the usual dry battery and may have a push-button 0211 by which contact may be made and light projected downward through a lens |83. It is thus possible ior the user of the crutch to illuminate the surface on which the crutch is to be placed without releasing his grip on the crutch handle.

Having thus described my invention and the f advantages thereof, 1 do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A telescoping and adjustable crutch comprising upper and intermediate tubular members, a lower member, and a locking sleeve, Vsaid intermediate member having an internally threaded portion at its lower end and said lower member having an externally threaded portion in its upper part fitting said internally threaded portion of said intermediate mem-ber, said intermediate member above said internally threaded portion being of greater diameter than said externally threaded portion of said lower member, and said externally threaded portion oi said lower member projecting substantially below the internally threaded portion of the intermediate member when the crutch is assembled, so that the lower part or" said externally threaded portion is positioned to receive said locking sleeve, and the unthreaded part of said lower member bel-ow the externally threaded portion thereof being of as small diameter as the points of the threads of said internally threaded portion of said intermediate member, whereby said lower member is freely movable upward within said intermediate member for nesting when said locking sleeve is removed and when said externally threaded portion of the lower mem-ber is screwed upward entirely through said internally threaded portion Vof said intermediate member and clears said intern-ally threaded portion.

RAYMOND W. SLATER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are or" record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 866,361 Hitchcock Sept. 17, 1907 885,339 Hargrove Apr. 2l, 1908 987,497 Shadell et al Mar. 21, 1911 1,652,110 Fullington Dec. 6, 1927 1,795,268 Thomases Mar. 3, 1931 2,116,730 Menton May 10, 1938 2,245,349 Lombardi June 10, 1941 2,383,786 Gish Aug. 28, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 122,694; Great Britain Jan. 30, 1919 

